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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24935926">When Love Comes A Knockin'</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/nightsofsilver/pseuds/nightsofsilver'>nightsofsilver</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Delivery! [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>SEVENTEEN (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - College/University, Chaebol Jihoon, First Dates, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, but not, delivery boy seokmin, one nsfw joke</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 07:01:49</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,445</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24935926</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/nightsofsilver/pseuds/nightsofsilver</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Seokmin gets a lot more than a good tip when he starts delivering pizzas to Lee Jihoon.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Lee Jihoon | Woozi/Lee Seokmin | DK</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Delivery! [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1838302</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>92</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Enduring Dawn Round 1</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>When Love Comes A Knockin'</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>
  
</p><p>Enduring Dawn Dk Fic Fest prompt 068</p><p>Thank you to the mods for putting on this fest! I hope the prompter and everyone else enjoys&lt;3</p><p>  <em>Seokmin is a delivery guy for a pizza place, riding around on a terrible little scooter barely making enough to pay his rent. His last delivery on a terrible rainy night is to the penthouse suite of an apartment building that he can barely afford to set foot in. He's expecting some old rich asshole that refuses to tip him for daring to get rain on his pizza box. The man who opens the door is… a surprise.</em></p><p>TW for mentions of throwing up<br/>skip "There is no way he can do any of that..." to the next sentence "His roommate Soonyoung" and<br/>"I have a high fever..." until "Damn. Well, nothing you can do now..."</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Seokmin glances out the window of <em>Diamond Pizza</em> at the darkening clouds, wincing as a bolt of lightning flashes across the sky and rain starts to drizzle down onto the streets below. </p><p>“Seokmin!” </p><p>He turns around to see Jun thrusting a bag of food at him. </p><p>“Got delivery for Bangpo-dong, guess it’s your lucky day huh?” </p><p>He ribs Seokmin in the side good-naturedly, “If we keep getting orders from neighborhoods like that you might get rich enough to retire early!” </p><p>The front door bell rings and Jun hurries back to the front of the store. Seokmin sighs, pulling the hood of his jacket up over his head. He sincerely doubts he’ll get that good of a tip, he’s worked as a delivery boy long enough to know that the richer the customer the less likely they are willing to part with their money. It’s probably some middle-aged VP who’ll complain about the delivery time and throw a 5000 won note in his face before slamming the door shut. </p><p>He closes the back door to the shop and puts the bag into the box strapped to the back of his tiny moped. He climbs on and pushes off, hitting the start button. He stumbles forward when the moped just sits there, silent and unmoving. He groans, slapping the side of the fuel tank and hitting the start button again. The moped jerks to life and Seokmin sighs in relief. He slips out from under the eaves behind the pizza shop and heads out onto the road. His coat protects him from the worst of the rain and it’s early enough in the year that he’s not even that cold, so small blessings Seokmin muses. </p><p>The buildings start to get taller and taller as he gets closer to Bangpo-dong. He slips behind slow-moving cars and thru alleyways, finally arriving at his destination. He looks around for a place to park his moped but there is no bike rack. He drags it in between two sleek black SUVS and hopes no one decides to steal it. </p><p>Seokmin pushes open the glass doors to the apartment building lobby, gulping softly as he’s faced with a wide expanse of marble floors and sleek metal. It makes him feel so out of place in his thrift store raincoat and dirty sneakers. He shuffles over to the front desk, gesturing at the bag of food in his hands and rattling off the apartment number written on the receipt. </p><p>The woman behind the front desk waves him up, hardly looking up from her computer. He hums along softly to the pop music playing in the elevator, stepping out after a few moments onto the 18th floor. He walks down a long hallway, and keeps walking, and keeps walking, until he comes to seemingly the only apartment on the floor, number 1801. </p><p>He presses the doorbell and the door opens to reveal, surprisingly, a young looking man, looking to be around Seokmin’s age, maybe a little older. Okay, not what Seokmin was expecting at all, but he’s probably the son of some tech CEO. If he is, he certainly doesn’t look it, dressed in a worn red tracksuit and a pair of bright pink slides. Seokmin bites his tongue to keep from commenting on the boy’s fashion choices and holds out the bag of food. </p><p>“Delivery for Lee Jihoon?” </p><p>“Yep, that’s me,” the boy says, taking the bag with a polite smile. </p><p>“That’ll be forty-eight thousand won.” </p><p>He sticks his hand in his pocket and pulls out a few crumpled notes, smoothing them against his side. Unfortunately Seokmin’s big mouth tends to get him in plenty of awkward situations and today is no different.</p><p>“Having some friends over?” </p><p>Jihoon looks up at him, face scrunching up in confusion. </p><p>“No, why?” </p><p>Seokmin flushes, “Oh well… it just seems like a lot of food for one person.”</p><p>Jihoon shrugs, “I eat a lot.”</p><p>Seokmin looks down at the rather heavy bag of food in Jihoon’s hands, and the other boy shoves a few bills towards him. He steps back into the apartment and Seokmin waves with his free hand, “Well, have a nice evening by yourself!” </p><p>“You too,” Jihoon mumbles back and as he turns to close the door Seokmin notices his ears have turned a bright red. </p><p>“<em>Cute,</em>” Seokmin’s brain helpfully supplies. He looks down at the bills in his hands, counting out one hundred thousand won. His mouth drops open in surprise, he’s <em>never</em> gotten a tip this big before. He’s still shocked by the time he gets back to <em>Diamond Pizza</em>, his expression mirrored by Jun as Seokmin hands him the money. </p><p>He whistles lowly, “See? What did I tell you? A few more tips from guys like that and suddenly you’ll be too good to work in a place like this.” </p><p>Seokmin laughs, “Sure Jun, whatever you say.” </p><p>He doubts he’ll ever see Jihoon again and doesn’t spare the boy another thought until a few days later.</p>
<p></p><div>
  <p>~~~~~</p>
</div>It’s pretty late in the day and Seokmin is praying there are no more delivery orders so he can finish this last level of <em>Plants VS Zombies</em> as he sits tucked away in the break room. Unfortunately Jun pops his head in an hour before closing with a tired grin.<p>“One last delivery Seok, then we can both go home.” </p><p>Seokmin stands up with a sigh, “On it boss.” </p><p>It’s not until he’s almost reached the apartment building that he realizes he’s going to the same place he went a week ago. He pulls out the receipt as he walks through the lobby, and yep, it’s the same boy with the bright pink slides again. </p><p>“<em>He must really like pizza,</em>” Seokmin thinks to himself, humming along as the same song as last week plays softly over the elevator speakers. When he knocks on the door he’s expecting something similar to last week, Jihoon dressed in something casual and those silly pink slippers, but that’s the exact opposite of what he gets. </p><p>The boy in front of him looks downright <em>expensive,</em> dressed in a tight black suit with his dark hair slicked back. His face is sharp and cold, but his expression relaxes once he sees Seokmin. He takes the bag of food from Seokmin, waving a hand in front of his face when Seokmin just stares at him in silence. The movement jerks Seokmin back to reality and a light blush spreads across his cheeks. </p><p>“That’ll be uh… thirty-three thousand won.” </p><p>Jihoon sets down the food to pull his wallet out of his pocket, handing Seokmin a few bills. He looks down and yep, an astronomical tip, just like last week. Jihoon hasn’t quite closed the door yet and Seokmin hesitantly speaks. </p><p>“Are you sure? This is a really big tip…” </p><p>Jihoon pauses, “Of course I’m sure…” --he squints at Seokmin’s name tag-- “Seokmin.” </p><p>Seokmin beams at him, “Oh, well thank you very much Mr. Lee.” </p><p>Jihoon looks at him, an expression Seokmin can’t quite decipher on his face. They stare at each other in silence for a few moments, neither of them making a move to turn away. Silence has never really suited Seokmin and for some godforsaken reason he can’t quite make himself turn away, so he attempts a conversation. </p><p>“You’re pretty dressed up for a night in. Unless you’ve just come from… work?” </p><p>Jihoon grimaces, “Actually there was an auction downtown tonight. It’s not really my kind of thing, but my brother dragged me down there anyway. The food was awful and I really wasn’t feeling it so I came home early.” </p><p>“Ah, well I hope the pizza makes you feel better.” </p><p>Jihoon sighs longingly and looks down at the bag of food. </p><p>“It definitely will, your cheesy breadsticks are delicious.” </p><p>Seokmin puffs out his chest with a grin, “They’re the best breadsticks in all of Seoul.” </p><p>Jihoon laughs, “They just might be.” </p><p>Silence settles over them again, Jihoon’s eyes flitting back and forth between him and the food. His tongue darts out to wet his lips and Seokmin’s gaze follows it. </p><p>“I should probably, um, go eat now.” </p><p>Seokmin takes a step back, “Enjoy your breadsticks.” </p><p>“Thanks, I will.” </p><p>“Good night.” </p><p>“Good night.” </p><p>As Jihoon turns away the light catches on the diamond stud in his ear, drawing Seokmin’s attention to his bright red ears. He rides back in a daze, suddenly standing in front of Jun and holding out the money Jihoon had given him. </p><p>“Must be a pretty charitable guy, did you give him puppy eyes and the poor broke college student spiel?” </p><p>“No…” </p><p>“Well then did you flirt with him? Offer to suc-” </p><p>Seokmin cuts him off before he can finish his statement.</p><p>“What? Absolutely not!” </p><p>“Pity, you might have gotten twice this much if you had.” </p><p>Seokmin smacks his arm lightly, scandalized by the comment. </p><p>“Jun!”</p><p>“I’m kidding!”</p><p>Seokmin sighs, “I don’t know why he gave me such a big tip, I even asked him if he meant to give me so much.” </p><p>Jun raised an eyebrow, “Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth Seok. Seems you’ve got yourself a sugar daddy eh?” </p><p>Seokmin huffs in protest but Jun just turns him around and shoves him out of the shop door. </p><p>“Go get some sleep pretty boy, gotta look your best if your sugar daddy calls again.” </p><p>Jun shuts the door before he can respond and Seokmin is left alone on the streets of Seoul with only his thoughts to accompany him.</p>
<p></p><div>
  <p>~~~~~</p>
</div>A couple of weeks later Seokmin is pulling up to <em>Diamond Pizza</em> just after delivering some pizzas across town. As soon as he walks in through the back door one of the chefs, Taeyong, waves him over into the kitchen.<p>“You have great timing Seokmin, we just finished cooking a huge order.” </p><p>He starts stacking boxes of pizzas on the counter, then cartons of breadsticks and salad and chicken and nearly every other item on the menu. </p><p>“Can you carry all that?” </p><p>Seokmin grimaces but nods, carrying the food outside. He might have been exaggerating the amount of food a bit because it does fit on his moped, but just barely. He’s extra careful as he weaves in and out of traffic, ending up in a small neighborhood on the quieter side of Seoul. </p><p>The apartment the order is for is only on the second floor which Seokmin is more than grateful for. He sets down the food by his feet and knocks on the door. It opens to reveal a good-looking boy and Seokmin has to crane his neck to look up at his face, which is a rare occurrence for him. </p><p>“Delivery for Kim Mingyu?” </p><p>The boy flashes him a dazzling smile, “That’s me.” </p><p>He turns and shouts over his shoulder, “Babe! The pizza is here.” </p><p>In a flash another boy appears by Mingyu’s side. He wraps an arm around Mingyu’s waist and leans forward, looking Seokmin up and down with piercing eyes. </p><p>“I forgot my wallet at home,” he murmurs, walking off again. Mingyu’s distressed gaze follows him and he gives Seokmin an apologetic smile. </p><p>“Sorry about that, he said he would pay earlier. He’ll probably just make Jihoon do it now.” </p><p>“Wait- oh hi Mr. Lee!” </p><p>Jihoon is looking up at the other boy with a scowl as he walks towards the door, but as soon he hears Seokmin’s voice he freezes, turning to stare at the pizza delivery boy in shock. </p><p>“Uh… hi.” </p><p>Jeonghan pushes past Jihoon with a huff, grabbing Mingyu’s arm and tugging him away so that Seokmin and Jihoon are left alone in the doorway. </p><p>“Mr. Lee?” </p><p>That seems to shake the boy out of his daze and he frowns. </p><p>“Just call me Jihoon.” </p><p>“Okay Jihoon, that’ll be one hundred eleven thousand and seventy-eight won.” </p><p>Jihoon pulls his wallet out of his pocket and counts out a few bills. </p><p>“Here.” </p><p>Seokmin doesn’t bother looking at the amount, tucking it into his pocket as he holds out the bags of food to Jihoon, he’s sure it will be more than enough. He scrambles to find a reason to stay and talk a little longer, but he honestly can’t think of anything to say for once. </p><p>“Well… have a nice night Jihoon.” </p><p>“You too... I’ll see you around right?” </p><p>Hope blooms in his chest and he perks up like a dog that’s just been thrown a bone. </p><p>“You definitely will if you order more pizza!” </p><p>“Then I’ll see you next week.” </p><p>Jihoon says this firmly, as if Seokmin’s continued presence in his life is suddenly set in stone. He flushes slightly in response, unsure how to take the announcement. He settles on giving Jihoon a jerky nod, turning away to leave before the heat in his cheeks and the rapid pace of his heartbeat can give him away. </p><p>He hears the door shut behind him and voices shouting from the apartment building, but ignores it in favor of burying his face in his hands with a groan. </p><p>“<em>Cute, tips far too well, looks absolutely delectable in a suit, wants to see more of me…?</em>” </p><p>After a moment he takes a deep breath and continues down the stairs and out of the apartment building. He’s already looking forward to seeing Jihoon again, he’s really done for isn’t he? He climbs back on his moped, turning out onto the main road and heading back.</p>
<p></p><div>
  <p>~~~~~</p>
</div>It’s been raining awfully hard lately and perhaps Seokmin has gone on one to many deliveries with nothing more than a thin raincoat because he ends up falling sick after four days straight of bad weather. He definitely had things he had been looking forward to (not Jihoon), like recording a new song he had been working on for weeks (not Jihoon), and staying up until 3 am playing a newly released video game with Soonyoung (definitely not Jihoon).<p>Well… maybe he had also been looking forward to delivering pizza to a certain fancy apartment complex. There is no way he can do any of that now, a shivering mess curled up in bed who has gotten sick at least twice in the past hour. His roommate Soonyoung has just left for class, but not after fussing over him all morning and leaving a warm bowl of plain ramyeon on the table next to his bed. </p><p>He pulls out his phone, he’s got a text from Minghao and Chan but he ignores them, scrolling through his contacts until he reaches Jun’s name. Jun picks up on the third ring, the hustle and bustle of the restaurant bleeding through the line. Jun says something, but it’s lost amongst the background noise. </p><p>“Jun I can’t hear you, it’s too loud.” </p><p>After a few moments the line goes quiet, Jun’s voice coming through loud and clear. </p><p>“How about now?” </p><p>“Much better.” </p><p>“So what was so important you couldn’t tell me in person?” </p><p>Seokmin coughs lightly, “Sorry boss, but I’ve got to call in sick.” </p><p>Jun groans loudly, “How bad is it?” </p><p>“I have a high fever, I can barely move, and I already threw up yesterday’s dinner. Twice.” </p><p>“Damn. Well, nothing you can do now but stay home and sleep it off. I’ll have to call Jaehyun in to cover your shift. Keep me updated ok?” </p><p>“I will.” </p><p>“I hope you feel better soon Seok.” </p><p>“Thanks Jun.” </p><p>Seokmin hangs up the call, snuggling further under the covers of his bed and drifting off to sleep. </p><p>It takes a few days but he finally manages to get over his sickness, starting back up at work on a bright and sunny Sunday afternoon. Jun waves him over before he has a chance to step into the kitchen, the mischievous glint in his eye making Seokmin hesitate just a moment before complying. </p><p>“Had a nice vacation?” </p><p>“I was bedridden for four days Jun, I felt awful.” </p><p>“I know I know, but while you were living it up Jaehyun took your shifts and he told me some… very interesting things about a certain customer.” </p><p>Seokmin can tell where this is going and tenses in anticipation, wondering what Jaehyun could possibly have to say about Jihoon, besides reporting his unusually large tips. </p><p>“This… Lee Jihoon… called for delivery three times last week.” </p><p>Seokmin raises an eyebrow, “Ok sure that’s a lot of pizza for one week but is that all you have to say?” </p><p>“No no no, Jaehyun told me that Jihoon looked quite disappointed when he opened the door and saw who was delivering his pizza. Jaehyun looked a bit shaken after he came back the third time, the poor guy. Said if looks could kill that Lee Jihoon would have had him dead on the spot. Seems like he prefers his old pizza boy.” </p><p>Seokmin can’t help but blush, “I” </p><p>The sound of the front doorbell rings through the air, effectively cutting him off as Jun instantly turns around to greet the customer at the sound. </p><p>“Hello and welcome to…” </p><p>Seokmin looks up as Jun’s voice trails off and meets the eyes of none other than Lee Jihoon. There’s an awkward pause until Jun spins around and drags Seokmin in front of the register. </p><p>“Uh I think I heard Taeyong calling my name, why don’t you take the customer’s order.” </p><p>Seokmin is pretty sure he didn’t hear anything and attempts to protest. </p><p>“But Jun I’ve never-” </p><p>“Don’t worry it’s easy. Okay? Cool, bye!” </p><p>Jun races off before Seokmin can say anything more and he turns back to Jihoon with a sheepish smile. </p><p>“So... what’ll it be?” </p><p>“You didn’t deliver my pizzas last week.” </p><p>Jihoon looks a bit startled, like he didn’t quite mean to say that out loud. </p><p>“Well, I got sick so someone had to cover my shifts.” </p><p>“Oh!... Are you okay?” </p><p>Seokmin waves one hand dismissively, “Yeah I’m right as rain and back to work now.” </p><p>Jihoon looks relieved, “That’s good.” </p><p>Seokmin leans forward over the register, tilting his head to the side. </p><p>“Was there something wrong with the way Jaehyun delivered your pizzas? Please let us know if our service is unsatisfactory and how we can improve.” </p><p>“Oh no, he was fine. I... was just used to you delivering the pizzas I guess.” </p><p>Seokmin grins, “I’m flattered you enjoy my delivery service.” </p><p>Jihoon nods jerkily, staring down at the floor. A moment of silence passes. </p><p>“Do you know what you want to order?” </p><p>Jihoon’s head shoots up so fast Seokmin is afraid he’ll get whiplash. </p><p>“Oh. Yeah. Uh, two orders of cheesy breadsticks please.” </p><p>Seokmin chuckles, ringing up the order, “Of course. That’ll be fourteen thousand five hundred won.” </p><p>Seokmin sighs as Jihoon hands over a more than adequate stack of cash, “I’d fear for your personal savings if you didn’t live in one of the nicest places I’ve ever stepped foot in. Let me guess, a math prodigy since three now working for one of the top tech companies in Seoul? A rookie investor who struck big buying stocks in Samsung when they were just starting out? An assassin hired by ruthless CEOs looking to take out rising competition behind the scenes?” </p><p>Jihoon stares at him in confusion and Seokmin leans over the counter. </p><p>“I promise I won’t tell anyone your secrets, as long as you keep tipping me like this at least.” </p><p>He throws in a wink for added effect and Jihoon bursts into laughter, doubling over and holding onto the counter for dear life. His laughter is infectious and Seokmin can’t stop the smile that spreads across his face, unusually proud at the reaction his joke has gotten. Jihoon manages to stand up straight after a few minutes, wheezing slightly as he speaks, </p><p>“You drive a hard bargain there Seokmin.” </p><p>He hears Taeyong call his name from the kitchen and he holds up one finger, turning around to grab Jihoon’s order. </p><p>“Here you go,” he says, passing the box across the counter. </p><p>“Anything else I can do for you?” </p><p>He wishes Jihoon could stay a little longer and talk more, but now that he has given Jihoon his order he has no reason too. Seokmin probably won’t see him again until he orders another pizza while Seokmin is on shift, a thought that makes him a little sad. He is pulled from his musings as Jihoon taps his fingers lightly on the countertop and looks up at Seokmin. </p><p>“Well, if you really want to know why I live in such a nice apartment building you could go on a date with me this weekend.” </p><p>Seokmin swears his heart skips a beat before it starts pumping double time, the rest of him frozen still. </p><p>“A… date?” he asks hesitantly. Jihoon nods, his gaze darting between Seokmin and the box of food resting  on the counter. </p><p>“If you’re interested. If not… that’s fine too.” </p><p>His brain has finally caught up with the situation and Seokmin hurries to give Jihoon the answer he is looking for. </p><p>“Sunday. I’m free Sunday.” </p><p>Jihoon’s eyes widen and a smile spreads across his face. </p><p>“Sunday sounds good.” </p><p>They just stare at each other over the counter and they are both startled when the doorbell chimes, announcing the arrival of another customer. </p><p>“Oh, I should probably go,” says Jihoon, picking up his box of food. Seokmin reaches across the counter and grabs a pen, tugging the box of food from Jihoon’s hands and hurriedly scrawling his number across the top. </p><p>He hands it back, “Uh, sorry. Text me?” </p><p>Jihoon gives him a thumbs up before spinning around and heading out the door. Jun chooses that moment to return from the kitchens, waving his hands in front of Seokmin’s face when the younger boy doesn’t immediately acknowledge his presence. </p><p>“Earth to planet Seokmin.” </p><p>Seokmin shakes his head, clearing his thoughts. </p><p>“Sorry, what did you say Jun?” </p><p>“I asked you how it went.” </p><p>“Pretty good I’d say.” </p><p>“How so?” </p><p>“I’ve got a date Sunday.” </p><p>Jun’s eyes widen and he looks like he wants to pester Seokmin with a million more questions, but another customer stepping up to the register puts a stop to their conversation. </p><p>“Tell me everything later okay? Now go deliver some pizzas loverboy.” </p><p>Seokmin salutes him with a grin, darting out the back door and riding out the rest of the day on a giddy cloud of unrestrained happiness.</p>
<p></p><div>
  <p>~~~~~</p>
</div>Seokmin is a bit sad when Jihoon doesn’t order any more pizza over the next few days, but it also makes him anticipate the coming Sunday even more. He glances over at his phone every time he gets a new notification, disappointment surging through him when he sees it’s not Jihoon. He starts to grow a little unsure when Friday rolls around and he still hasn’t heard anything from Jihoon. He must be getting a little too obvious because Soonyoung sets his video game controller down with a sigh, crossing his arms over his chest and looking pointedly at Seokmin.<p>“What’s going on?” he prompts, when Seokmin just stares at him in confusion. </p><p>“Nothing,” Seokmin says, face pulled into a frown. </p><p>“You’re an awful liar Lee Seokmin, now tell me what’s going on.” </p><p>Seokmin sighs, leaning back into the couch. </p><p>“Technically it <em>is</em> nothing, which is the problem. A guy asked me out earlier this week; I gave him my number but he hasn’t texted me yet.” </p><p>“A guy asked you out and you didn’t tell me?!” </p><p>“Well I meant too… but I was just so surprised! At first I could hardly believe it, but now I don’t know what to think.” </p><p>“Maybe he’s nervous? Not the texting type? When’s your date?” </p><p>“Sunday.” </p><p>“Well you’ve still got a couple of days.” </p><p>Seokmin’s phone buzzes in his pocket and he doesn’t even bother taking it out to check, just points to the ground at Soonyoung’s feet. </p><p>“Toss me the controller, I wanna play.” </p><p>“Aren’t you going to check your texts?” </p><p>“It’s probably not him, now please toss me the controller Soonyoung.” </p><p>Soonyoung picks up the discarded controller with a grin, “Only if you check your phone.” </p><p>They both stare at each other stubbornly, until Seokmin blinks, rubbing at his eyes. </p><p>“Ha!” Soonyoung says, “I win! Now check your phone.” </p><p>Seokmin sticks his tongue out at him but does what he’s told, eyes widening as he looks down at his screen. Soonyoung scoots across the couch and looks over his shoulder. </p><p>“Is it him?” </p><p>“It says it’s from an unknown number…” </p><p>Seokmin taps on the message notification, whispering under his breath as he reads the message aloud. </p><p>“Hi, this is Jihoon, sorry I didn’t get to you earlier I was busy with a personal project.” </p><p>“That’s him right?” </p><p>Seokmin nods, a smile spreading across his face as he answers back.</p><p>Seokmin<br/>
<em>Oh, that’s okay<br/>
How are you doing?<br/>
I’m excited for Sunday</em>٩(^ᴗ^)۶</p><p>Butterflies spring to life in his stomach as the text bubbles of an incoming message instantly appear.</p><p>Jihoon<br/>
<em>Good I guess<br/>
Oh yeah what’s a good time for Sunday? Dinner at 5 or 6?</em></p><p>Seokmin<br/>
<em>6 sounds good to me</em>(^○^)</p><p>Jihoon<br/>
<em>I’ll pick you up</em></p><p>“Ooo,” Soonyoung murmurs from beside him. “He’s assertive. I like that in a man.” </p><p>Seokmin shoves him away, “This one is mine! Go find your own.” Soonyoung just laughs, picking up his controller and continuing the game.</p>
<p></p><div>
  <p>~~~~~</p>
</div>Seokmin adjusts the collar of his shirt and looks himself up and down one last time in the bathroom mirror. He is more than presentable, at least according to Soonyoung, who had spent two hours texting Minghao picture after picture of the various outfits he had dressed up Seokmin in. They all finally agreed on a simple striped button up and a pair of skinny jeans, his gold-framed glasses perched on the tip of his nose.<p>Minghao had said that the combination of gold and blue did wonders for his tone and some other intelligent sounding fashion commentary that was honestly lost on both Seokmin and Soonyoung. Taking a deep breath in, Seokmin walks back out into the living room, just as his phone starts to vibrate in his pocket. </p><p>Soonyoung looks up from the couch where he is rapidly devouring a large bowl of noodles, “Has your prince charming arrived?” Seokmin snorts, pulling his phone out of his pocket and nodding as he reads the short text from Jihoon informing him that he is indeed downstairs and awaiting Seokmin’s arrival. </p><p>Soonyoung stands up, “Well then what are you waiting for?” </p><p>“Okay jeez I’m going I’m going,” Seokmin replies, running a hand through his hair and hoping the fact his stomach is wound up in a tight ball of nerves doesn’t show on his face. Soonyoung gently takes his hand before he can turn away towards the door though, looking up at him with a fond smile. </p><p>“Hey, it’s okay to be nervous on a first date, but don’t be <em>too</em> nervous. If this Jihoon guy can’t see how sexy, funny, and sweet you then it’s his loss. Just shoot me a text and I’m prepared to dramatically reenact a mugging if you want an excuse to get out of there, okay?” </p><p>Seokmin blushes at Soonyoung’s compliments, but the older boy’s kind words do make him feel a little bit better. </p><p>“I’ll keep that in mind, thanks. It will go great though. Hopefully.” </p><p>“That’s the spirit!” says Soonyoung, spinning Seokmin around and pushing him out the door with a farewell slap to the ass. </p><p>“Now go get ‘em tiger!” </p><p>The door slams shut behind Seokmin and he rubs his stinging ass with a pout. </p><p>“Bye I guess.” </p><p>Once Seokmin gets outside he starts to look back and forth for Jihoon, startled when a sleek gray car pulls up in front of the curb. He takes a small step back when the door to the car opens… vertically? He is momentarily stunned by this feat of technology, returning to reality when Jihoon pokes his head out the backseat of the car and gives him a wave. </p><p>“You coming?” </p><p>“Oh, sorry,” Seokmin says, hesitantly climbing into the vehicle as Jihoon scoots back over to the far side of the car. The inside of the vehicle is impressive as well, though maybe Seokmin should have expected that given Jihoon’s current place of residence. A man in a suit sits in the front seat and he gives Seokmin a bright smile through the rearview mirror as Seokmin buckles his seatbelt. </p><p>“Ah,” Jihoon says, “this is Kye Beomju, my chauffeur.” </p><p>“Hello,” Seokmin says politely. </p><p>“Good evening Mr. Lee, it’s a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance.” </p><p>“Oh, thank you. Uh, you too?” </p><p>“I do so hope you two have a wonderful evening together, I haven’t seen Jihoon this excited for a date in a long time.” </p><p>Seokmin blushes and Jihoon clears his throat loudly next to him. </p><p>“So um, how was your day Seokmin?” </p><p>“It was fine I guess, worked on an essay, got my butt kicked in a few rounds of <em>Street Fighter</em>, tried to work on my essay again but gave up after an hour and spent the rest of the afternoon online shopping.” </p><p>“Buy anything?” </p><p>“No,” Seokmin says with a sigh, picturing the acoustic guitar and pair of Nikes sitting in his amazon cart, “maybe someday though.” </p><p>Jihoon looks like he’s biting back the words on his tongue as he switches topics. </p><p>“What university do you go to?” </p><p>“Seoul National.” </p><p>“Oh, so do I.” </p><p>“What are you majoring in?” </p><p>“Business with a minor in video game design.” </p><p>“Interesting, I’m not surprised we’ve never run into each other, it’s a big school and voice major and business major wouldn’t have that many classes in common. Why a minor in video game design of all things?” </p><p>“Well, it makes me happy for one, and there are quite a few jobs in the field. The business major is mostly to keep my parents off my back until I figure a few things out.” </p><p>“They wouldn’t support you going into video game design?” </p><p>“I think they expect me to take a position in the company like my brother, but if anyone is going to become the CEO someday it’s going to be him.” </p><p>“I see, well I hope you end up with a job you like.” </p><p>The car starts to slow as Seokmin finishes speaking and he looks up to see that they’ve stopped in front of an unfamiliar restaurant. Jihoon pushes open the car door, Seokmin again wide-eyed in awe as it rises <em>upwards,</em> and he follows Jihoon out onto the street. Beomju gives them a cheery farewell before driving off and Seokmin turns towards Jihoon, the bright streetlights allowing him to see the boy’s outfit much more clearly. It’s very obviously from some expensive designer brand, the slacks and dress shirt fitted perfectly to Jihoon’s smaller frame. </p><p>As he follows Jihoon inside he notices the marble floors, the glittering chandeliers, and the elegant outfits of the couples milling in around the front of the restaurant. Seokmin suddenly starts to feel a little self-conscious of his own outfit, wondering if he should have dressed up just a little bit more for this date. </p><p>“Reservation for Lee Jihoon?” </p><p>The host takes a quick look at the paper in front of him, grabbing two menus and stepping out from behind his stand. </p><p>“Right this way Mr. Lee.” </p><p>The host leads them to a table for two in the far corner of the restaurant and Seokmin tries to brush aside his nerves as he sits down. </p><p>“Anything to drink for you two tonight?” </p><p>“Wine?” </p><p>Jihoon asks, quirking an eyebrow at Seokmin. </p><p>“Uh, just pick whatever you think sounds good.” </p><p>Jihoon points to something on the drink menu and the host nods, “An excellent choice sir.” </p><p>He heads off in the direction of the kitchens and Seokmin and Jihoon are left alone for the first time that night. Seokmin opens up the dinner menu, internally frowning when he sees the prices listed next to every item. Even if he chooses the cheapest entree available it’s way more than he’s used to paying in a single sitting for a meal. At least he has the tips from Jihoon he thinks to himself, glancing upward to see the boy in question looking at him with an unreadable expression on his face. </p><p>Seokmin raises his head a bit more and Jihoon flushes, quickly glancing away when he realizes he’s been caught. He coughs awkwardly, “You look nice in glasses.” Seokmin’s gaze drops back down to the menu as he tries and fails to hide his pleased grin. </p><p>“Oh, thank you,” he murmurs, his nerves replaced by a swirl of butterflies in the pit of his stomach. Just as Seokmin actually starts to believe that the date really will go well, everything that can go wrong proceeds to do so. </p><p>Seokmin is very unsure how to navigate the vast amounts of silverware and courses that start to come, trying his best to copy whatever Jihoon is doing. He has a near miss with a course of sauteed vegetables, realizing just in time that the sauce contains pine nuts, which Seokmin is deathly allergic too. Then the waitress isn’t quite looking as she pours Jihoon another glass of wine, too busy explaining the specials to notice that the glass is almost full. Jihoon reaches out a hand to stop her at the same time she starts to lift the wine bottle. </p><p>“It’s going to-” </p><p>The waitress looks down and immediately jerks the wine bottle back, knocking into Jihoon’s arm and sending a deluge of wine spilling over into his lap. </p><p>“Oh m-my gosh,” the waitress says, looking terrified and apologetic all at once. </p><p>“I’m so sorry sir I didn’t mean to…” </p><p>Jihoon just sighs, “It’s fine, it was my fault. Can I have a towel or something?” </p><p>She darts off and Jihoon sighs again. </p><p>“Are you okay?” Seokmin asks, having been shocked into silence by the turn of events. </p><p>“As fine as one can be covered in 1967 Chardonnay.” </p><p>Seokmin opens his mouth to say something again but quickly shuts it when he notices how irritated Jihoon’s expression has grown. He watches silently as Jihoon quickly types out something on his phone and accepts a towel from the waiter, drying off as best he can. Once the waiter leaves after a flurry of apologies and promises of a free dinner Jihoon’s shoulders slump downwards and he buries his face in his hands. </p><p>“I’m sorry,” he says after a long moment. </p><p>“It’s not your fault.” </p><p>“I know, this is just… not how I imagined tonight going. I can tell you hate here just as much as I do?” </p><p>“What?” </p><p>Seokmin panics at the thought that his discomfort has been apparent this entire time as Jihoon’s phone pings with an incoming text message. </p><p>“This isn’t the kind of place I usually eat at if I can help it, I think I was just trying to impress you but” -- he gestures to his wine soaked clothes -- “I don’t think I did a very good job of that.” </p><p>He looks up at Seokmin hesitantly, “Do you want to go somewhere else?” </p><p>Seokmin is more than confused but he slowly nods. </p><p>“Uh, sure.”</p><p>“You’ll like it, I promise.” </p><p>Ten minutes later they are standing outside of the restaurant as Beomju pulls up in front of them. He gets out of the car, gaze pitiful as he hands Jihoon a pair of sweatpants. </p><p>“I’ll just, uh, be a minute,” Jihoon says, gesturing to the car. Seokmin nods, humming awkwardly as Jihoon climbs into the car and closes the side door. A few minutes later Seokmin joins them and Beomju pulls out into the  street, heading south away from the shopping and dining district they had previously been at. They turn down a few side streets and come to stop in front of a tiny restaurant on the edge of Itaewon. </p><p><em>Nakamoto’s Japanese Cuisine</em> it reads in bright blue letters across the front of the restaurant. Jihoon holds open the door for Seokmin with a smile and the younger boy has to stifle his laugh at Jihoon’s combo of dress shirt and tie neatly tucked into a pair of old sweats. </p><p>“Jihoon!”</p><p>As soon as they enter the restaurant one of the waiters pulls Jihoon into a side hug, pulling back to slap his back with great enthusiasm. </p><p>“Hello Yuta,” Jihoon says, a relaxed smile on his face. Yuta turns to look at Seokmin. </p><p>“Well who do we have here?” </p><p>“My date,” mutters Jihoon, rolling his eyes as Yuta’s face lights up. </p><p>“Well hello!” </p><p>“Hi, I’m Seokmin.” </p><p>Seokmin holds out a hand but finds himself also pulled into a hug, wheezing slightly in Yuta’s firm grip. </p><p>“Okay okay that’s enough, you’re suffocating him.” </p><p>Yuta pulls back with a sheepish smile. </p><p>“Sorry, I get a bit too excited sometimes. It’s nice to meet you Seokmin, any friend of Jihoon’s is a friend of mine.” </p><p>Yuta’s energy is infectious and Seokmin can’t help but smile, “It’s nice to meet you too Yuta.” </p><p>“Sit wherever you like.” </p><p>Jihoon nods, pulling Seokmin away and towards a booth in the corner of the restaurant. </p><p>“Sorry about him,” says Jihoon as they sit down. </p><p>“It’s fine, he seems really nice.” </p><p>“Yeah, he’s a good friend. I’ve been a regular here for a long time and he always stops by my table to talk, even if he is busy running once of the best Japanese restaurants in Seoul.” </p><p>Just then a waitress comes by with menus and water. </p><p>“Anything more to drink for you two?” </p><p>Jihoon shoots Seokmin an amused smile, “Just water is fine I think.” </p><p>Jihoon is right about the food, it’s absolutely delicious. They both are far more relaxed now and end up talking the night away, Jihoon looking a little disappointed as he drops Seokmin off in front of his apartment. </p><p>“I had a nice time,” Seokmin says. </p><p>“Even if the first half of the night was a total mess?” </p><p>“The company more than made up for it,” Seokmin says with a grin. </p><p>“Does that mean you’d be down for another date? No more fancy restaurants, I promise.” </p><p>Jihoon smiles, turning red as Seokmin leans forward and kisses him on the cheek softly. </p><p>“Definitely. Text me okay?” </p><p>“O-okay.” </p><p>Seokmin climbs out of the car, waving goodbye as Beomju pulls away from the curb. He enters his apartment as quietly as he can, smiling softly when he sees Soonyoung curled up on the couch, fast asleep. He grabs a blanket and gently lays it over Soonyoung, hoping the older boy didn’t stay up too late waiting for Seokmin to come back. He fights back a yawn as he shuffles back to his bedroom, climbing into bed with a contented sigh and slowly drifting off.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Seokmin's outfit based off of this <a href="https://twitter.com/pledis_17/status/1229749697826324480">post</a></p><p>(post author reveals)<br/>Thank you my dear <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/WaxyWolf">Waxy</a> for listening to me ramble on and on about this fic since I wasn't allowed to talk too anyone else<br/>Stick around y'all cause I'll be sending a part two your way sometime soon;)</p><p>come find me on <a href="https://twitter.com/nightsofsilver">twitter!</a></p></blockquote></div></div>
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